The fish species that form the prey base for an ecosystem.
More information about CalCOFI can be found here

CalCOFI data can be accessed here

Map of Regions

A map showing the locations of spring season net samples by CalCOFI for use in analyses of abundance and trends in pelagic resources. Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary region (red) includes CalCOFI stations inside and adjacent to CINMS; and Southern California Shelf (yellow) includes all CalCOFI stations over the shelf. Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA, Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Anchovies

CINMS Region

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.anchovy in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

Hake

CINMS Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.hake in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.hake in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

Myctophids

CINMS Region

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of myctophids (Myctophidae) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.myctophids in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

Rockfish

CINMS Region

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of shortbelly rockfish (Sebastes jordani) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.rockfish in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

Sanddab

CINMS Region

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific sanddab (Citharichthys sordidus) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 - 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.sanddab in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.

Sardines

CINMS Region

SoCal Shelf Region

A figure showing the relative abundance of Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) collected during the spring around the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern California Shelf from 1978 to 2018. Data source: CalCOFI; Figure credit: A. Thompson/NOAA; Ben Best/EcoQuants.

Click for Details Relative abundance of key forage fish groups collected in net samples during spring CalCOFI cruises at sites in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and Southern California Shelf regions from 1978 to 2015. High energy taxa are Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, and Myctophids. Medium-energy taxa are Pacific hake, shortbelly rockfish, and sanddabs. Although sardine were completely absent in net samples from 2011 to 2014 in the CINMS region, comparison with samples collected in the larger Southern California Shelf region reveal that sardine were at very low abundance but not completely absent from the region. For more information, consult Figure App.F.12.19.sardine in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.